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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24341686">Like a Fool</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/durinsreign/pseuds/durinsreign'>durinsreign</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Tolkien Fic Week [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blue Mountains | Ered Luin, Dwalin is angry, First Kiss, M/M, Nori is a Little Shit, Pining, Pre-Quest of Erebor, Tolkien Fic Week, TolkienFicWeek</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 07:34:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>878</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24341686</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/durinsreign/pseuds/durinsreign</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>And <em>oh</em>. </p>
<p>Suddenly, that constant desire to be this close to Dwalin all the time made sense.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dwalin/Nori (Tolkien)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Tolkien Fic Week [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1757359</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Like a Fool</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>TolkienFicWeek day 1: first kiss</p>
<p>Thank you Lou for being my fresh eyes.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>———————————————</p>
<p>It started with a poorly nicked coin purse. The thief had been seen, called out, and chased. As he weaved through Ered Luin’s teeming markets, Nori felt the glorious rush of adrenaline he had become so fond of. Arms stretched from every direction in an attempt to catch him, even the nosey townsfolk tried to throw a tackle or two in. </p>
<p>By the time he was thrown against a wall, Nori was panting and grinning that lopsided grin this particular guard had seen dozens of times before. It was a familiar scene, the axe blade pressed against the side of his neck, a large inked hand grasping his opposite shoulder, looking up into a cold glare.</p>
<p>The <em>entire</em> situation was already routine by then: watch the head of red hair enter the markets, watch him pick things out with his eyes, watch him slip said things into his coat like he had all the storage in the world, follow him, catch him, frisk him, dodge the very convincing sweet talk, and take him straight to jail. No stops. </p>
<p>
  <em>Absolutely no stops.</em>
</p>
<p>“Oh. You’ve caught me, guardsman,” Nori breathed, still gasping from the (very satisfying) chase. Dwalin grumbled something too quiet to hear, and leaned closer to his face, glowering like he intended to intimidate him. It never worked.</p>
<p>“You’ve a lot of nerve stealin’ in broad daylight.” Every time Nori opened his mouth, Dwalin only got angrier. The thief knew no shame, because shame meant he was guilty; Nori was not guilty. At first Dwalin would swallow his retorts and just arrest him, smile from beyond the bars and move on. But that only made it worse. Nori felt empowered to be able to somehow micromanage every little aspect of this process. Every damn thing done his way, no matter how many times Dwalin could divert it. </p>
<p>“All the better to end up in your arms, no? You didn’t miss me?” Nori feigned a frown, his eyes still sharp with the hints of a grin behind them. One would have to be incredibly dull or <em>careless</em> to not see that.</p>
<p>It was already an unpleasant day, Nori only adding winds to the cultivating storm that was Dwalin’s temper. And <em>no</em> he did not miss the thief. But Instead of a fist meeting a fist,</p>
<p>
Dwalin kissed Nori.
</p>
<p>
  <em></em>
</p>
<p>
It was the kind of kiss that stole the snark right from Nori’s tongue.
</p>
<p>
  <em></em>
</p>
<p>
 Anyone would think that after all the time he'd spent with Nori — watching him talk, and laugh, and pout — he would know all there was to know about his lips. They had been playing this game of cat and mouse for years now after all.
</p>
<p>
  <em></em>
</p>
<p>
 In all the running, the close calls, and injuries, nothing could compare to the rush that <em>this</em> brought. And it had all ended so soon. Too soon, because Nori had tore himself far enough back from Dwalin to look at him. Like he was imagining things.
</p>
<p>
  <em></em>
</p>
<p>
Oh, this was all Nori had ever wanted. He had to confirm it was <em>real</em>.
</p>
<p>
  <em></em>
</p>
<p>
Something was not right about it, the way Dwalin could feel himself begin to pull the smaller dwarf in for <em>more</em>. Perhaps it was the fact that he was supposed to be escorting this individual to the city jails at this time, but he was <em>still</em> doing it — choosing to live in his worst parts, ruining himself slowly this way; allowing himself desire, if only even a kiss.
</p>
<p>
  <em></em>
</p>
<p>
Dwalin’s sigh mashed with Nori’s huff, and they stood together; the guard’s forehead pressed to the thief’s, their hands in the most odd of places: each other’s cheeks and the napes of their necks.
</p>
<p>
  <em></em>
</p>
<p>
It looked intimate, even felt intimate, how they rested that way; gapped lips still brushing ever so slightly. Dwalin's eyes were still closed, like he was trying to imprint this moment in his head. Nori looked at him without pulling away, looked at how close he was, how every sliver of contact felt hot and burned but soothed him better than anything he'd ever felt before.
</p>
<p>
  <em></em>
</p>
<p>
 And <em>oh</em>.
</p>
<p>
  <em></em>
</p>
<p>
 Suddenly, that constant desire to be this close to Dwalin all the time made sense.
</p>
<p>
  <em></em>
</p>
<p>
It was quiet for several long minutes before Dwalin stepped away from Nori, his hands sliding from their spots, almost lingering.  He was going to explain, yes, as if there were any way to, and if not explain, then he would at least ask the thief to never speak of this again, no matter how much he might have actually enjoyed it, and how much he wanted to do it a third time. But it was good that he wasn't able to get anything out, because he might've accidentally asked the thief if he could kiss him again.
</p>
<p>
  <em></em>
</p>
<p>
 Once the opportunity had presented itself, Nori had already run every single detail of Dwalin's lips, and how they moved and felt, through his mind several times over, then ducked under the guard's heavy arm and merged into the crowd just outside the alley. In his head, <em>he</em> had been the one that had played the guard like a . Like <em>Dwalin</em> had been swindled into the oldest seduction trick there was.
</p>
<p>
  <em></em>
</p>
<p>
 But Nori never forgot the way Dwalin kissed him.
</p>
<p>
  <em></em>
</p>
<p>
 And he longed for it. 
</p>
<p>
  <em></em>
</p>
<p>
 Like a <em>fool</em>. 
</p>
<p>
  <em></em>
</p>
<p>
 ———————————————
</p>
<p>
  <em></em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Comments appreciated!!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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